downes



G. W. Downs. DOOR SPRING.

Nd. 278,783. Patented June 5,1888.

. N. rs'rznsv Pholn-Ulhegrapher. WasbirvgXon. ac.

'VNITED STATES GEORGE W. DOWNES,

on NEW YORK, N. v.

DOOR-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\ To. 278,783, dated June5, 1883.

Application filed January 19, 1883. (Modeh) To aZZ whom/ zit may concernBe it known that I, GEoneEW. DOWNES, of

j the city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Door-Springs; and the following is declared to be adescription of the same.

Springs for closing doors haye long been employed, and these springshave been used alone for closing the door by direct connection with thesame, and also in conjunction with pivoted levers. In the latterinstance one end of one pivoted lever was fastened-to the door, and theother end of the other pivoted lever was fastened to a spring-connectionupon the door-. casing, and the force of the spring was here utilizedthrough .the levers to close the door. In all these cases a continuousincreasing strain is put upon the spring that frequently causes the doorto close with unnecessary force. In some instances the closing device ismade as part of the hinge of the door, and in others as entirelyseparate and independent from the hinge. My invention employs acam-shaped arm and sliding bar operated upon by a spiral spring, and alever-arm and roller for closing the door. The first movement of openingthe door puts a certain strain upon the spring,

and the increased movement of the door adds a gradual continuous strainupon the spring until the door is fully opened, when the maximum strainis attained. The gradual increase is simply due to the are upon whichthe camshaped arm is made, which is just sufficient to allow of shuttingthe door gradually when it is released from the hand.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the spring device. Fig. 2is a side elevation of the same 5 and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same, thedoor and easing being in section.

The spiral spring a surrounds the rod b, and said 'rod is held at itslower end in the bracket 0, in which it is free to turn, and at itsupper end in the bracket cl, in which it also turns freely, and thesebrackets are secured to the casing A of the door. The lower end of thespiral springbears against a lug upon the bracket a, and the upper endis either connected to the rod 12 or bears against a flat spot upon saidrod, and when the rod is turned it contracts the spring. The upperbracket, (Z, is made with two projecting lugs, e 0, instead of with one,like the bottom bracket, and there is a, I

f, with an eye, through which the rod 1) passes. 'To this link f thelever 7 arm 9 is pivoted by screw f, and one end of this arm g has apawl projector or tooth, that engages the ratchet-wheel 71, which isfast upon the rod '2), and

the other end of the arm 9 carries the roller The sliding bar 7; andcam-shaped arm m are preferably made of one piece of metal. One end ofthe sliding bar is connected with the bracket d by the hinge-joint e",and it moves freely in the guide I, which guide also forms a bearing forthe bar k and a means of connecting the same with the door B, to whichsaid guide Z is attached. The arm on is in shape likea sector, and isalso cam-shaped, the exterior surface of the arm near the sliding bar 7-being farther from the hinge-center 6" than the exterior surface at theend of the arm, and said arm has a depression at its end, and also nearthe sliding bar k, as shown in Fig. 3, andthis arm m is hollowed out forthe roller 2',

which runs over its surface.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings the door is shown as shut and the partsheretofore named as at rest in their normal position. The spring istightened or strained by a key applied to the square head of the rod 1),and the spring-pressure, acting through the ratchet-wheel h, pawl ortooth g, lever-arm g, and roller 5 against the canrshaped arm m, keepsthe door shut, the. roller 2 resting in the depression a 011 the end ofthe said arm m. As the door is opened the roller is raised out of thedepression or and rests the camshaped arm m until the depression 0 IOOclosed, and as the rolleri sinks into the depression n a final push isgiven the door, which insures it shutting completely.

The depression 0 may be omitted, if desired, or the extra length of thesliding bar may be cut oil, as it is only necessary with heavy doorshaving large hinges, which compel a greater swing of the door andconsequent movement of the parts than is the case in a small door.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a door-spring, the spiral spring a, rod7), brackets c d, and ratchet-wheel h, in combination with the link f,lever-arm g, its pawl g and roller i, the sliding bar 7c and its guideZ,

and the cam-shaped arm m substantially as set forth. I

2. The combination, "with the spring and its axis, of brackets tosupport the same, a ratchet-wheel upon the axis of the spring, a leverhaving apawl at the end of it, and alink through 20 one end of whieh theaxis passes, the other end being pivoted to the lever, substantially asset forth.

3. The spring and its axis, and the brackets for supporting the same, incombination with 2 5 a sliding bar, k, hinged to the upper bracket, thesector m at the end of the sliding bar k, provided with depressions nand o, the lever-arm g, roller 2', link f, and ratchet-wheel h,substantially as set forth. 3o

Signed by me this 16th day of January, A. D.

GEORGE WC DOWNES. Witnesses:

HAROLD SERRELL, GEo. T. PINCKNEY.

